A Study Of Beauty In Sound, Form And Meaning Of Literary Translation: Analysis Of Basic Aesthetic Properties Of Literary Translation

Aesthetics is the theoretical study of beauty and taste constituting a branch of philosophy. Literature's unique aesthetic nature determines that aesthetics is an important approach to assessing the values of both literature and its translations.On the basis of Mr. Xu Yuanchong's three kinds of beauty theory, this paper intends to explore the aesthetic nature of literature and its translations by the analysis of their basic aesthetic properties, and to introduce an aesthetic literary translation standard. Following an aesthetic approach to translation process, the paper introduces the original/translated text and translator/reader as aesthetic object and subject respectively. As aesthetic object, both the original and translated texts are examined in 3 aspects: sound, form and content, which are analyzed at phonological, semantic and formal levels. The aesthetic properties of sound, form and content will be accompanied with large numbers of examples and illustration. On literary translation standard from an aesthetic point of view, the paper will suggest the unity of sound, form and content in the highest possible aesthetic perfection, which also takes into account aesthetic subjects -- translators and readers.The paper is divided into four chapters.Chapter one focuses on the basic aesthetic theory presented by Mr. Xu Yuanchong and some achievements previously made by other translators and translation theorists;Chapter two analyzes aesthetic properties of both the original and translated texts on phonological, semantic and formal level;Chapter three demonstrates aesthetic subjects -- translators and readers and theireffects on literary translation as well. The translator is mainly concerned.Chapter four summarizes the paper and introduces the author's opinion n literary translation standard. Moreover it also points out some weaknesses in the study.Although the "three kinds of beauty" theory intends to demonstrate aesthetic propertieson poetry translation, Mr. Xu pointed out that "文学翻译的本体论……是我的的三美补论".Consequently, this paper takes it as the basic theory to analyze the aesthetic properties of original/translated text respectively.